So I got the builds done in time for Game Makers Yorkshire and had a blast at the event! Talked to a bunch of awesome people on the evening and handed out plenty of coins.

I also did the Christmas Market in Huddersfield which was good fun and although a slow start (due to the late stirring hours of students) there were plenty of people playing it throughout the day, even coming back to try and beat their score!

I've also discovered the wonders of Makey Makey and will getting one for Christmas to have a tinker around with! I'm thinking of doing a dance dance revolution style control system for Narcissus to accompany the arcade box I have.

Stay tuned for more updates - I'll be posting up the photos from INSOMNIA 53 this weekend.

Narcissus for PC/Mac has been finished and has been submitted to the Independant Games Festival! I'm incredibly excited for the outcome and hope that something good comes of it. Best of luck to any developers who entered who are reading this!

This month I've got a busy schedule lined up!

I'll be exhibiting at Games Makers Yorkshire on the 13th of November in Leeds! I'm super excited for the event as the version I'll be taking (if all goes to plan) will be the finished build of the game! A massive thanks to Andrew Crawshaw for letting me get involved with the event. I'll be taking the arcade machine along and a bunch of merch!

Due to finally getting a steady income, I've been able to move to Huddersfield and kick games development into the top gear. I've got the office space that I've got access to for the next 10 months, so I hope to create a variety of wonderful things in the time I have. As part of this, I've been invited to exhibit at a christmas fair in the centre. Whilst Narcissus is not exactly your traditional thing to have there, it should still be good fun!

Finally, I've going to INSOMNIA53! Should be good fun, especially since the game is so close to the end of production. Luke (if he can make it along) will be bringing a big TV to play the game from and once again I'll have the arcade box! I hope you'll make it along! Also loved playing Halo 2 multiplayer the last time I was there, so if you do see me there ask if I want a game. We'll be in the Indie Zone.

"If you love games like Super Hexagon, you owe it to yourself to play Narcissus. Note: the Soundtrack is also fantastic."~ Top 6 Games to Watch Out for from EGX Rezzed 2014, gamrReview

"Player one jumps with the up button, player two the down, and then you tap and swear until you're not friends anymore."~ Kotaku UK

"Johansson has produced a unique, multi-faceted game offering two different but equally appealing experiences well worth your time. And maybe an upvote on Greenlight, too." [/b]~ DESTRUCTOID [/b]

Narcissus is the perfect game to put any healthy relationship to the test. A platformer in which you, the player must control two characters simultaneously with two different keys moving through increasingly mind-melting levels. All to a smorgasbord of electronic music.

Please give the 25 level flash version of Narcissus a playthrough!

{LINK REMOVED}[gamejolt.com]

Try the windows version to see how the game has improved in the past months:

Give the music a listen to see what to expect from the final game soundtrack!

[soundcloud.com]

Origins

Narcissus was an idea inspired by watching my brother jumping between stepping-stones on the river Don near my home on a bright Autumn’s day. I could see his reflection in the water doing the same as he was and thought it’d be a neat mechanic to build on. Unfortunately at the time, I had no idea what I was doing programming-wise.

I went to Eurogamer in 2011 and met Alistair Aitchenson, a gamedev in the Independent stands. Really awesome bloke who empowered me to start making my own stuff by pointing me towards software such as Stencylworks, Flashpunk and Flixel. I had just started my second year at University and with the simple idea I had for Narcissus, I slowly began to put a prototype together. After a plethora of playtesting and visual tangents for the project, the end for Narcissus is finally in sight.

Gameplay

The basic premise for the game is you have two characters that you control separately. Each must reach the end of the level to proceed. This is achieved by coordinating jumps between the two players. Whilst the controls are simple, the level design is not.

I wanted to build a game that encouraged interaction, as I love the social atmosphere that comes from going to arcades. Most cabinets were by default built with multiple players in mind. For one reason or another, this seems to be degrading, with fewer platforms providing split screen support and many phone games being primarily designed for single player. With Narcissus, you have a choice to make – you can either play the game with a friend and make it easier, or step up to the challenge and play alone.

To give you an idea of the difficulty you’d be facing; so far, the game has 50 levels finished, all hand crafted to be ruthless but fair. On normal, each level takes approximately 16 seconds IF completed in one go. You can die as many times as you like, but each time you return to the start of the level. The average playthrough with 2 people is around 150 minutes. As the developer, I’ve been playing Narcissus for around 3 years and I still manage to slip up whilst playing (Yet to complete Narcissus without dying at least 20 times).

The level design for Narcissus could have been done though randomly generating levels, but my competence as a programmer at the time restricted this. Instead, each level is designed by hand. Despite this disadvantage, it definitely adds that extra level of satisfaction when players eventually solve the level you created, even more-so when something completely unpredictable occurs.

Since Narcissus is a mechanic-heavy game, it’s impossible to judge the quality of the game for Greenlight without giving it a go. If you’re reading this on Greenlight, PLEASE give the flash version a try OR download the 10 level windows demo before voting. I’ve talked to a lot of people who’ve down-voted without trying the game – please don’t be one of those as I guarantee you’ll have a blast.

Visuals

The game is split into the seasons, so the characters seasons contrast one another not only in their colour but also the environment they're in. The colours also correspond to what platforms they can jump upon based on which coloured trail they have. Each side of the platform has a selection of vibrant flora that matches their inverted counterpart in structure, but not in colour. I really enjoy drawing trees and am constantly trying to add in more that I spot growing along rivers.

Music

The music of Narcissus is produced by Luke Smith and provides a mix of electronic tunes to bring back those memories of the arcade era. So far, the game has 5 tracks with the potential to expand these to a full album. You can listen to the tracks on Soundcloud now (can even lifehack it and play the music on there and mute the in-game music so you can hear what the final soundtrack will be like!) The soundtrack will be available for download with release. He really has done a cracking job on the project and you can follow him and the work he does at the link below.

The tale is quite brief and is intertwined with the myth – Narcissus fell in love with a reflection of himself, spending the rest of his days pining to embrace his mirror image. The two main characters are unable to interact with one another yet are connected by their dependency on one another to survive. Keep pushing forwards in the hope that finally you may be at peace.

Features:

50 vibrant levels
5 intense soundtracks
2 games for the price of 1 - A single player multitasking epic and a co-operative experience to treasure
Ramps, speed boosts, direction switchers, bridges and a slew of other mechanics.
3 different speeds to make sure nobody gets left out!
4 seasons of colour and 30 different pixelated flora.
Timer to challenge your friends with, or disable to enjoy the game at your own pace.
Quick to learn, eternity to master.

This game was great, I first tried this game at a convention, the visuals are beautiful and the gameplay is addictive and enjoyable to play. Honestly I would recommend this to everyone, not only can you play as a pair but you can try the challenging method of playing both characters at once.

Played with Becticcyn at Insomnia 53, I agree, its a great game, With an amazing soundtrack, and even though I lost it, the prize was cool :) It's a very addictive game and it's annoying the demo back home only goes to 12, NEED MORE! And also having the game dev to behind us to help is was very handy :) 10/10!

Played with a friend at Insomnia 53, Great game and even better soundtrack, Got a little prize for reaching level 10 aswell :) It's very addictive and having the game designer behind us to give us tips was very handy :) A Must play with friends. 10/10